What should I do with "Dirty" coins?

February 24, 2015

Interesting question, right? First of all, dirty or tarnished coins are not all bad. One of the worst senarios that we encounter is when a person comes into our coin shop with a bag of coins and a big smile on their face. They eagerly take out the coins and place them on the counter. The coins are incredibly shiney and bright. The person is awaiting our response...."Wow" I say, "You must have spent hours polishing these babies up"...
What this person did is basically ruin most, if not all of the value of their coins. Improperly cleaned coins will dramically decrease the market value of a coin. Coins can indeed be cleaned, but special care should be taken. Not only is cleaning the problem, but also drying the coin. People tend to "rub" the coins dry, which is a no no. The best thing to do, is to take your coins to a professional who knows how to care for coins. Some coins that you think are ugly and tarnished, are if fact beautiful to the collector that enjoys "toned" coins in his or her collection. "Eye appeal" is an important component in the overall grade of a coin, and some "Toned"(tarnished) coins provide great eye appeal. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!!!